Interlocking means for divisible container carrier

ABSTRACT

A sectional carrying case capable of being interlocked with another sectional carrying case and having a finger-actuated movable lock guided for movement between a release position in which it permits the case to be interlocked with another case and a locked position in which it prevents separation of a pair of interlocked sectional carrying cases.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Appl. No Filed Primary Examiner-Raphael H. Schwartz All0rneyBrumbaugh, Graves, Donohue & Raymond 244 4m mw I200 22 2 22 2 W 1 mmmm TrHy mmkk TIK o n MCOE 4777 6666 9999 1111 55009 9 25 20050 7003 3 34 ,5 1 3333 4 u S m 9 k 6 C 9 6 nl 0 1 m lsm GPooJ Patented Sept. 7, 1971 [54] INTERILOCKING MEANS FOR DllVlSlIBlLlE CONTAINER CARRIER 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

ABSTRACT: A sectional carrying case capable of bein ginterlocked with another sectional carrying case and having a finger-actuated movable lock guided for movement between a release position in which it permits the case to be interlocked with another case and a locked position in which it prevents separation of a pair of interlocked sectional carrying cases.

INTERLOCKING MEANS FOR DllVllSllELlE CONTAllNlElk CARRllEHt This invention relates to a sectional carrying case of the type shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,343,705, issued Sept. 26, 1967, to Gerald Erickson, and more particularly to a novel, simple, accessible releasable lock for a sectional carrying case of that type.

The sectional carrying case has oppositely tapered, dovetailed tongue and groove formations extending along a side of the carrying case to permit the carrying case to be interlocked with one or more other sectional carrying cases to make up a composite carrying case. The composite carrying cases are ordinarily more easily handled by the dealer than the individual carrying cases. However, in the event that the customer desires less than the composite carrying case, a sectional carrying case can be easily detached by releasing the actuatable lock and sliding it out of interlocking relationship with an adjacent carrying case.

The releasable lock of the present invention is accommodated within a guide slot of the carrying case and in its release position is in line with a locking tongue on the side of the sectional carrying case so that it will not interfere with the interlocking of the carrying case with another. When another sectional carrying case has been interlocked therewith and adjusted to the proper fore and aft position, the lock can be displaced at least partly across the open end of an adjacent groove where it blocks the removal of a tongue of the adjacent sectional carrying case from said groove to prevent the relative movement of the sectional carrying cases necessary to separate them.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuatable lock is accommodated within a vertical slot at a corner of the sectional carrying case, and the surfaces of the carrying case and lock are shaped in complementary fashion to permit the lock to slidably engage a vertically extending surface of the carrying case. When the lock is in release position, the lower edge thereof forms a continuation of one of the tongues. When another sectional carrying case is interlocked therewith, the lock is finger-actuated to displace it to a position adjacent the open end of a groove to prevent relative movement of the sectional carrying case with an adjacent car rying case with which it is interlocked.

For a complete understanding of the present invention, reference can be made to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a pair of sectional carrying cases embodying the locking device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational end view showing a composite carrying case made up of a series of interlocked sectional carrying cases with a portion of one sectional carrying case broken away to show the locking device in cross section;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG, 4 is a perspective view of the locking device.

Referring to the drawings, particularly FIG. ll, each carrying case 1 is formed on one side with a pair of tapered tongues 2 and 3 defining between them an open-ended tapered groove 4- and on the other side with a tapered tongue 5 and a relatively straight horizontally extending tongue 6 defining between them a tapered groove 7. The tongue and groove formations are provided with dovetailed edges, and the tongues 3 and 5 are of complementary shape to the grooves 7 and 41, respectively, to enable them to be interlocked in side-by-side relationship. The narrow end of the tapered tongue 5 is readily inserted into the wide open end of the groove 4, and the narrow end of the tapered tongue 3 is readily inserted into the wider, open end of the groove 7 to interlock the sectional carrying cases by moving them relatively on a horizontal plane until they are locked together in side-by-side relationship. A stop 8 forms the narrow end of the groove 4, and the engagement of the narrow end of the tongue 5 with the stop insures that the sectional carrying cases are interlocked and properly adjusted in fore and aft positions relative to each other.

A lock 10, movable within a vertical guide slot 11, is adjustable between a raised release position in which it permits the interlocking of the sectional carrying cases and a lower locking position in which it prevents the separation ofthe sectional carrying cases.

The one-piece lock, as best shown in PK]. 4, includes a slide portion lltla guided between the edges of the slot 11, an enlarged head 10}; force-fitted through the slot to retain the slide portion therein, a concavely curved portion llOc which is in frictional sliding engagement with the complementary shaped, vertically extending convex surface forming the corner of the carrying case, and dovetail notch lltl d which in the raised release position of the lock is in line with and forms a con tinuation of the lower dovetail edge of the tongue 2, The lock is moved from release to locked position by the depression of an upstanding handle or actuator Me which is guided within a lot 12 of an outwardly extending flange 113 formed on the upper edge of the carrying case.

When the lock 10 is in the raised release position, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing, the locking surface llOfis face to face with the narrow end of the tongue 2, and the lower dovetail notch lltld thereof forms a continuation of the lower dovetail edge of the tongue 2. in this position the open end of the groove 4 is unobstructed and capable of receiving the tongue 5 of an adjacent sectional carrying case to be interlocked therewith. lnasmuch as the narrower ends of the tongues 3 and 5 are inserted into the wider ends of the grooves 7 and 4, respectively, there is no need to exercise a great deal of care in lining up the slots and grooves, When the sectional carrying cases are interlocked in proper side-by-side relationship and the narrower end of the tongue 5 is in engagement with the stop 8, the lock can be fingcr-actuated to the locking position shown in FIG. 3 by pressing the upstanding handle or actuator 110e, thereby moving the locking surface Wf to a position adjacent the wider end of the tongue 5 to prevent the relative movement between the sectional carrying cases necessary to unlock them.

Because there is some frictional engagement between the lock and the guide slot and between the concave surface and the corner surface of the sectional carrying case the lock will remain in the raised release position until actuated and will not be accidentally raised from the locking position. The lock, nevertheless, is very easily moved between the release and locking positions.

The sectional carrying cases are preferably made in one piece of relatively rigid plastic material with guide slots 14 therein to accommodate a handle 15 and with hand slots 16 in the sides thereof to facilitate handling. The handle 15 normally rests above the dividers and below the upper edge of the carrying case, and the bottom 17 of each carrying case is smaller in size so as to nest in the upper edge of an underneath carrying case when they are stacked. The lock 10 and the han dle T5 are also preferably made of relatively rigid plastic material.

lclaim ll. A sectional carrying case capable of being interlocked with another sectional carrying case comprising dovetailed tongue and groove formations on at least one side of the carrying case to permit it to be interlocked with complementary dovetailed tongue and groove formations of another sectional carrying case, at least one of the groove formations of the sectional carrying case having an open end, a guide slot in a side of the sectional carrying case having the tongue and groove formations, a slide interlocked with and accommodated for movement within said guide slot, an extension formed integrally with said slide to permit actuation of the slide, and a releasable lock formed integrally with the slide and movable from a release position adjacent the end of one of the tongues to a locked position partially across the open end of said openended groove formation to prevent relative movement of the sectional carrying case with an adjacent carrying case with which it is interlocked 2. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 in which the guide slot is located in the region of a corner of the sectional carrying case and extends in a substantially vertical direction and including a vertically extending convex surface formed on the corner of the sectional carrying case and a complementary concave surface formed on a portion of the releasable lock to slidably engage the convexly curved surface of the carrying case.

3. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 including an outwardly extending flange at the upper edge of the sectional carrying case and a guide opening in said flange in which said actuating extension is guided to permit the upper end of the actuating extension to be finger depressed to move the releasable lock to locked position 4. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 in which the releasable lock includes a locking surface which in the release position of the lock is in face-to-face engagement with the end of one of the tongue formations and in the locking position is movable to partially close the of open end of one of UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION patent No. 3,693,474 Dated September 7, 1971 l vent Gerald Erickson It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[- Column 2 line 17, delete "lot" and insert -s10t- Column 4, line 5, delete "of", first occurrence, and insert --enlarged.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of March 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Atte sting Officer- Commissioner of Patents 

1. A sectional carrying case capable of being interlocked with another sectional carrying case comprising dovetailed tongue and groove formations on at least one side of the carrying case to permit it to be interlocked with complementary dovetailed tongue and groove formations of another sectional carrying case, at least one of the groove formations of the sectional carrying case having an open end, a guide slot in a side of the sectional carrying case having the tongue and groove formations, a slide interlocked with and accommodated for movement within said guide slot, an extension formed integrally with said slide to permit actuation of the slide, and a releasable lock formed integrally with the slide and movable from a release position adjacent the end of one of the tongues to a locked position partially across the open end of said open-ended groove formation to prevent relative movement of the sectional carrying case with an adjacent carrying case with which it is interlocked.
 2. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 in which the guide slot is located in the region of a corner of the sectional carrying case and extends in a substantially vertical direction and including a vertically extending convex surface formed on the corner of the sectional carrying case and a complementary concave surface formed on a portion of the releasable lock to slidably engage the convexly curved surface of the carrying case.
 3. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 including an outwardly extending flange at the upper edge of the sectional carrying case and a guide opening in said flange in which said actuating extension is guided to permit the upper end of the actuating extension to be finger depressed to move the releasable lock to locked position.
 4. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 in which the releasable lock includes a locking surface which in the release position of the lock is in face-to-face engagement with the end of one of the tongue formations and in the locking position is movable to partially close the of open end of one of the groove formations.
 5. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 4 including a dovetail notch which in the release position of the lock forms a continuation of the dovetail edge of the adjacent tongue formation. 